Snuffleupagus

Imaginary woolly friend

Snuffleupagus is a large, woolly, elephant-like creature from the children's television show *Sesame Street*.

For years, only Big Bird could see him, making adults doubt the character existed—a running joke that ended in 1985 when the grownups finally met him.

His full name is Aloysius Snuffleupagus; friends call him Snuffy.

The name evokes both his snuffling trunk and the mythical status of creatures adults dismiss as imaginary.

character

Aloysius

Masculine given name

woollyCovered in soft fibers
trunkMain stem or storage
shyReserved and retiring

gentle · soft-spoken · lovable · endearing · puppet · creature · imaginary friend · loyal · Alice · baby sister

Sesame Street

Big Bird

Giant yellow puppet character

PBSNon-profit educational broadcaster
educationalPromoting knowledge or skill
puppetryManipulating figures for shows

Jim Henson · children's television · Mr. Hooper · Maria · Gordon · Luis · Elmo · Cookie Monster · Oscar the Grouch · Bert and Ernie

invisibility

imaginary

Existing only in thought

unseenNot perceived visually
hiddenKept out of sight
disbelievedDeemed untrue

adults · revealed · real · doubted · vindication · 1985 · running gag · skepticism

nostalgia

childhood

Life's earliest phase

memoriesStored past experiences
vintageQuality from past eras
retroEvoking recent past

classic · seventies · eighties · throwback · generation · reminisce · bygone · sentimental · timeless · growing up

Snuffleupagus

Aloysius

Big Bird

imaginary

childhood

Snuffleupagus

Opposites

Categories

Family